


Shas'ui

by Kitten_of_Khorne



Series: Bloody Empyrean [1]
Category: Warhammer - All Media Types, Warhammer 40.000, Warhammer 40k (Novels) - Various Authors
Genre: Angst, Bloody Empyrean, Canon-Typical Violence, Commorragh, Dark Eldar, Drukhari, Fire Warrior, Grimdark, Homoeroticism, M/M, Mysticism, Non-English Source, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Non-Graphic Violence, Other, Psychological Torture, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Slavery, Tau Empire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-07 16:41:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20820485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitten_of_Khorne/pseuds/Kitten_of_Khorne
Summary: Commorragh – the city of the eternal darkness never to be dissipated by the light of thousand stolen suns. It's dead heart not capable of mercy and pity to unblessed one, occasionally survived till auction.These three words is the most terrible one can hear… Yet is there any room for love in the grim darkness of the Dark Eldar realm?





	Shas'ui

**Author's Note:**

> The original Warhammer 40,000 universe is based on a miniature wargame produced and owned by Games Workshop.  
The characters of novel are original and the story, all names, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.  
Illustrations are to be added also, see also https://archiveofourown.org/works/20997371
> 
> I'm not an English native speaker (my native is Russian). Thus it is my debut at English so there are some updates may appear.  
I've been used Grammarly and http://textalyser.net tool to proof the grammatic.  
However, I'm willingly awaiting any critics to improve the text quality.  
The novel originally was published in open access at Russian at  
http://forums.warforge.ru/index.php?s=3d97ef34ff613a2aa35bcdfbf86a3773&showtopic=257631  
Translation to English was performed by the author. 
> 
> Полная версия на русском языке доступна на данном ресурсе  
http://forums.warforge.ru/index.php?s=3d97ef34ff613a2aa35bcdfbf86a3773&showtopic=257631  
Текст на английский был переведен автором.

Prologue 

_Aquamarine_ (from Latin: _aqua marina_, “seawater”), is a blue or cyan variety of beryl. It has a simple composition and can be found almost everywhere in the Galaxy. The gem color is pale, usually heavenly blue, green-blue or grayish-blue. The crystal structure provides a curious dichromic effect. Depends on sight angle the gem can change its color tone. The aquamarine is softer and lightweight compared to relative sapphires, but still very rigid and tough mineral. The gentle blue color of aquamarine is attributed to presence of the iron. If scorched, the mineral converts its color into a deep blue tone.

It was believed the gem can change its color before the storm. Ancient seafarers admired this feature. Aquamarine was used as a charm to keep the voyagers’ path and protect against the dangers of the open sea. The archaic Terran myths say that the aquamarine is a splinter of the ocean’s soul itself and has the power to overcome the rage of nature.

The pure and divine bluestone also was the favorite wizard’s ward. It was beliefs saying that gem is a protector of its owner, an assistant and, able to expose cunning and deceit, shifting the thought to more ethereal spheres and to curb uncontrolled surges of emotions. It’s refinement and the delicate shine protect the owner from dangers, makes him sane, capable of making reasonable decisions. The clear stone with a divine shade was a symbol of crystal honest people who never lie.

Also, aquamarine was considered a marriage charm, making spouses loyal and faithful friends, protecting love.

_Nersuu_ \- 1. n. {geology} the mineral aquamarine; 2. adj. the color 'green-blue'. (main Tau Lexicon)

Shas’ui

The Commorragh – a city of the eternal darkness never to be dissipated by the light of thousand stolen suns. The dead heart not capable of mercy and pity to unblessed who’s strength or youth became a curse, made them survive till auction.

With his head bowed low, Nersu walked in a line of chained slaves, the bulk of which were humans from all over the Imperium of Man. His ochre tone uniform had been turned to rags during the weeks of captivity and was soaked with dried blood. The pain, a constant companion for these days, never for a moment left the slave-tau. The once faint blue skin was almost black with bruises and inflamed cuts. But the young man continued to walk, scarcely moving his feet’s, smashed in blood on the hardcover of the “street”. Nersu knew it was better not to slow down. Otherwise, he will receive a painful jab from the neighbors-gue’la. The POW humans did not have warm feelings for the captive Fire Warrior. The shas’ui quickly learned that other slaves were sometimes even worse than the var’sin’da masters themselves. The prisoner was often beaten to a pulp, and even overseers had to intervene.

The destination slave market differed little from what Nersu had seen before: a motley crowd consisting of beggars and second-hand dealers, constantly buzzed. Above them, on a floating platform, was a var’sin’da of higher status: warriors dressed in the frightening armor looked down to the plebeians at their feet. Many pointed to Nersu. The member of the Fire Caste was the only tau among the livestock for sale, attracting the attention of onlookers. The prisoner knew: such interest does not bode well to him.

The narrow “street” ended in a high pavilion: the reflection under the dome was translucent, colored by the golden light of one of the enslaved stars. A row of slaves was brought into a small room, and the overseers began to sort the goods, preparing them for sale. The queue reached the tau and frightened Nersu was taken aside, to a group of flaunting fighters dressed in black armor. One of the var’sin’da grabbed the tau shoulder groping muscles, then poked several times to the insignia of the shas’ui. He releases a contemptuous remark, after which the others laughed. But Nersu stood quietly, with his head down. The former soldier’s will to resist gone long ago. The drukhari continued to have fun talking, and although Tau could not understand a word, the representative of Fire Caste realized that they were discussing him. A metal rod used by guards to drove the slaves appeared, and the prisoner was obligated to raise his head high. The subsequent painful blow to the back made him straighten his shoulders: the slavemaster wanted to perform a demonstration of the commodity. One of the fighters stretched his hand to the respiratory slit, committing the tau to move, nevertheless, disobedience caused no punishment. On the contrary, the warrior standing next to him grinned and made a gesture. The tight metal ring slammed shut on Nersu's neck.

“Which caste you are?” the collar had an inbuilt translation device.

“The Fire Caste.”

“I told you. Thing is too short for Water”, the voice of the var’sin’da sounded satisfied. “You lose, Caentar.”

“Does it make any difference, Fahhra? Drakriss wishes a watery bitch, the pretty one. Let’s look further.”

“We have been scouring around this cesspool for a long time, and this is the first blue-skinned one that we met. I propose to take him and go back.”

Nersu was standing quietly, trying not to provoke the monsters.

“Archon will be displeased,” argued Caentar.

“Drakriss gives no care,” Fahhra grinned. “I bet on my silver knife; the Serpent won't even notice the difference. If he ever remembers that he wanted blue meat.”

“Yeah, say thanks, Caentar, that our boss is not akin to his sister. Ivanelle would not have let us cheat on her,” warrior replies. “And I would like to check how my blade cuts those blue-skinned.”

The tau watched indifferently as soldiers conversed with the beastmaster. Finally, having bargained, they dragged the prisoner to one of the open levitating machines. Had driven him to the deck, the var’sin’da sent a vessel to their lair.

***

The flotilla of “Poisons” slid easily over the City, approaching the dare spire of the Kabal of the Pernicious Lotus piercing the skies of Commorragh. Drakriss, staying at the high window, watched the light vehicles making to the landing pads. His soldiers unloaded the booty captured in the fights on the streets of the Dark City and the goods they bartered from the merchants. Commorragh denizen sullenly observed the scurry on the landing site: cohorts of slaves who carried heavy boxes, and Incubi boasting trophies. A tenacious eye snatched the scene in detail: a pale silhouette flutter — one of the soldiers held the resisting slave-mon’keigh in his arms, in the hands of the other was seen a small bundle. A moment later, the clot flew into the abyss, and Drakriss saw the face of a human woman distorted in a muted scream. Laughing, the soldiers held the unfortunate one, who tried to rush after it. Archon tired looking at the bustling of the servants, so instead he paid attention to the room. The spacious chamber was furnished with refined elegance: soft couches and fine-carved tables, precious carpets, and pillows embroidered with gold created cozy islands, in which his darlings found shelter. Beautiful women, in delicate clothes, saw off their master with inviting smiles. Commorrit’s gaze slid over the groomed bodies of the aeldari and mon’keigh, without lingering at any for a long. Boredom owned a young heir of Kabal. Drakriss thought of a woman whose child was probably still falling to the foot of the spire. Perhaps the new pet will be able to dispel his apathy for a while. The master of the tower wiggled his fingers, and the room servant, a mon’keigh, appeared in front of him.

“I want to see refreshment. Let them pick the most beautiful ones for the evening.”

The Great Serpent wondered if it was worth ordering to bring that slave too. But he again was taken by ennui. Drukhari decided to unwind and went to the Menagerie. There were several commissars remained alive from the last batch of prisoners. Furious beasts could help him pass the time until the evening.

***

The guard standing at the door turned to the line of chained slaves and waved his whip.

“Move on, dregs!”

People start to move and pulled Nersu with them. The tau saw the looks of Gue'la, there was disgust read on many faces, though some showed signs of recognition. The Fire Warrior, in turn, identified the soldiers of the Imperium among the many prisoners. The double head vultures and winged skulls – human sept symbols, were marks of Guardsman tattooed on bare shoulders and foreheads. Nersu concluded they have been brought to the barracks for slaves intended for slaughter. Awareness of the unenviable fate did not cause the Fire Warrior fear. The longing for relatives, tormenting him by the blunt teeth at these days, retreated at the thought of imminent deliverance.

Suddenly, a loud shout made the column to stop. The Shas'ui saw a group of warriors, the one of which he was able to recognize. It was Fahhra.

“Hey, Master! I have an order to take blue-snout for a Garden,” a soldier, dressed in black, broke into a contented smile.

The overseer’s scowled, but he waved his whip again, and slave humans arose beside him. The servants separated the captive tau from the party and escorted him to the other place. Nersu's heart sank dully, the wandering gaze had nothing to cling to in the waste corridors that led him away. The cell into which the captive was unceremoniously thrown was cramped, a windowless. The dark walls were the color of rot blood, depressing, and the dim glow-blob under the ceiling was not able to disperse dusk. A narrow bunk near the wall and rude amenities complemented the somber interior. The Fire Warrior cast-off the thought that this place was worse than a punishment cell in the army quarters. Lost life could not be return.

The door creaked and a figure of a gue’la appeared in the opening. The aged slave froze on the doorstep, and a familiar mixture of disgust and superstitious horror arose on the mangled face. The Fire Warrior has unmistakably learned how to identify these human emotions in recent weeks.

The accompanying var’sin’da-watcher had prodded the old woman, and her burden - the washbowl and a few bundles were scattered across the floor.

“Come on, do your job, crock."

The door slammed, leaving them alone. The woman continued to stand at the entrance, stare at the tau. Nersu saw terrible burn-scars on the half of the slave’s face, while the other side bore traces of gone away beauty. The Fire Warrior slowly got out of bed, causing the old woman to scream and lean against the door. The tau wearily thought that in this world there is no understanding even between the comrades of misfortune.

“I will not offend you,” Nersu began to collect the scattered things, among which he recognized the components of the standard medical pack of the Earth Caste: there were bandages, a painkiller, and an antiseptic.

Overcoming fear, the maid-gue’la set to work. With her assistance, the tau was able to get rid of the blooded uniform and treat wounds. Nersu showed the woman how to use a spray with a liquid bandage. After taking care of his legs and swathed the cuts, Gue'la helped the soldier get dressed: the new clothes were as frugal as the one which the old woman wore. But apparel was clean and warm. The shas’ui watched wistfully while the woman had thrown the remnants of his Fire Caste outfit to the rest trash in the washbowl.

“What is your name?” the silence was an answer.

The Tau made another attempt.

“I am not your enemy. My name is Shas'ui T’au ...” suddenly the woman laid her palm on his lips, silencing him.

“Never reveal anyone here your name,” the quiet whisper of the gue’la was full of despair, “They will steal it and your soul too.”

Fussily gathering things, the woman left the room. Nersu checked the door, but, as he expected, it did not open for him. Lying on the hard pallet, the prisoner began to examine the ceiling and hope that the relief will wait not long.

***

The old gue'la, who didn’t name herself, came every day, bringing him food and taking care of his wounds. Albeit Nersu wasn’t thankful. He knew the owners just waiting for a tau to recover from injuries. Var’sin’da never exhibited compassion, thus the fact that a slave was given the respite, certainly was promised a much grimmer fate. Finally, deep cuts, generously treated with a remedy, began to heal. And a few days later, the old woman appeared, escorted by an overseer.

Turnkeys convoyed Nersu for a long, to their goal at the upper levels of the complex. The tau remembered the words of Fahhra about a Lord who wished the “blue meat”. The image of the slaughterhouse, which stood before Nersu's eyes, quickly disappeared as the procession reached the small room. A chair, a mirror, a table, and a stand with colorful clothes prompted the soldier what exactly the owner wanted. There was also a Gue'la younger than the Beldame and with a similarly disfigured face. A faint spark of hope lit in the heart of a warrior. If the var’sin’da will be rude enough, there was a chance that shas’ui would not survive the night, sharing the fate of his brotherhood. A tough soldier was unlucky to withstand, unlike his younger ta’lissera fellows.

Servants guided the tau into the shower room and have washed him squeaky clean. Then old woman and her partner began to “preen” the prisoner: his body was perfumed, and locks were collected in an ornated hairstyle. Wrists and ankles were decorated with tinkling bracelets, a gauzy tunic embroidered with flowers replaced a rough robe. Instead of the crude slave-collar, a smooth ring tightened his neck. The humiliating "decoration" was equipped with needles, forcing him to hold his head high. Nersu did feel haggard. Finishing all preparation, the women handed him to the overseer, who did not take the avid gaze from the slave.

“Move on, "handsome”, the Great Serpent waits,” the guard has supplemented his words with a weighty slap at the tau’s lower back.

The owner’s quarters were at the very top of the complex. The narrow windows, beyond which the Commorragh’s nightmarish sky was seen, didn’t give the light. Decorated with ugly furniture, the room gave the impression of a crypt, and the colorless figures of women have enhanced the similarity. The Great Serpent, tall, with smooth black hair and deadman's pale skin, studied the Fire Warrior with his eerie eyes. The var’sin’da’s face explicit a grimace of displeasure.

“What is this?”

“Tau, sir,” the overseer was ingratiating, and all his hubris has vanished.

"I see that it is not an ambul, idiot," the archon snapped. "Why not a woman? Where is Fahhra? Bring this scoundrel here!"

A panting soldier appeared in minutes. The archon stalked around the room, throwing furious glances at his frightened servant, then at Nersu.

"My lovely Fahhra, tell me, are you so stupid that you didn’t understand my orders or, perhaps, you did consider yourself smarter than your Patron?"

The young man saw the horror in the eyes of the servant. The Var’sin’da warrior no longer seemed overconfident.

"Sir, we have been scouring all the markets and bagnios out for three days, but this is the only suitable blue-skinned we have found..."

"I decide what is suitable for me, carrion! You and your moron accomplices had to sieve the whole Dark City or join the pirate raid to get me what I want! And not to return with miserable excuses!"

“Nonsensical,” the shas’ui was astonished by his own voice. “You wouldn’t get any. The women of my people cannot tolerate ill-treatment.”

The choked groan of Fahhra indicated that the servant was terrified of Nersu's arrogance. The archon's deathly shadow grew up in front of the tau.

“Did someone give the slave permission to speak?” the voice as a serpent hissing, was trembling in rage.

Nersu grinned, not expecting the monster able to identify the expression on his face.

“Someone had to stop your whining, archon.”

The tau hoped that he is able to anger his owner enough so the archon would bring all his wrath upon the prisoner. And he succeeded: the var’sin’da was ridiculously swallowing the air, not believing what he has heard. Suddenly, Snake laughed, throwing back his head.

"I see, in this house, even the slaves began to make decisions instead of the Master?" The owner made a gesture and howling Fahhra was taken away by the soldiers in black armor. "This pathetic suckler has bothered me for a quite long time."

The monster turned to tau. His fingers touched a curved scar visible beneath the sheer textile of the tunic.

"And you, apparently, the Fire Warrior?"

"And you, perhaps, the owner of this place?"

The shas’ui noticed the female’s gazes - scared and, at the same time, interested.

"The slave is impertinent." The archon turned back to the servants and concubines, "Get out!"

The room was emptied so quickly as if those present were leak through the walls.

"You interested me. Maybe, I will keep your life."

The var’sin’da impend over the Fire Warrior, forcing him to take a step back. The archon's snake smile blossomed on his pale face, revealing sharp teeth.

“Yeah, you may resist.”

***

The damp cell was cold and gloomy. Nersu lay on the bed, bitterly repenting of his “audacity”, which relished master's taste. As well as the resistance of the captive. The pain of the violence to which the tau was subjected was almost abated. And although the archon was ruthless and insatiable, there was little blood. The silent old woman, who brought tasteless food, helped the Fire Warrior to tidy himself up, but this didn’t relieve despair at all. The shas’ui looked at his own hands, with sunken veins under the pale skin, they gave the impression of weakness. Nersu seemed ghostly to himself, unreal. This place was drawing out his life force. But too slow. There were months ahead, maybe years of suffering under the rule of this monster.

They came after him a few more times, and everything repeated. Nersu tried to summon the owner's rage, but it only teased up the Drakriss. Then, an anguished prisoner was returned to the misty dungeon until the next date. The cell door opened, and Nersu froze. Instead of the old maid, it was one of the Var’sin’da soldier come for him. For a few heartbeats, the young man decided that everything is over: the game had no more satisfied the rapist. However, in the hands of the guard was a bundle of light-color fabric.

"Get yourself dressed!" the guard barked and threw the item to the Fire Warrior.

Nersu, awkwardly catching the clothing, was taken aback: they brought him the uniform of Fire Caste. Undoubtedly, another way to humiliate a former soldier, invented by Drakriss. Turn down the impulse to throw the clothes back, the tau began to dress hastily. Such contumacy solves nothing. The warden could beat him up and make the young man put on a uniform or, without bothering himself, would drag the naked rebel to the owner's place. The sand-colored uniform with no insignia was out of fit for the shas’ui size: the trousers were a bit short and stood upright on shins, and the tunic hung on a gaunt captive’s shoulders like a sack. Nothing more: no underwear or shoes. Still, it was a piece of an almost forgotten home. Nersu felt the scent of the boundless T’au steppes. While the slave was being led on a date, he tried not to think where his uniform came from.

“You know what is most pleasant? In addition to your resistance, of course,” the archon firmly pressed the trembling tau to the bed. The owner's cold hands rummaged under the captive's clothes. "Your hot flesh. After you, these whores seem cold like dead fish, my Ty’res."

The Fire Warrior did not respond. As the Beldame had warned him, the var’sin’da tried to find out the name of Nersu, but only to take it away and replace with a derogatory nickname. The tau was silent, sorrowing that the evening had just begun. Drakriss’s excited breathing was resembling a grave. Handling the shas'ui face toward himself, the archon began to cover the captive's lips and neck by gentle kisses, moving lower and lower. Nersu did not move, having learned the previous lesson well. His back and shoulders were still itching after the scourge of the overseer, despite there no marks were left on the skin. The tau no more tried to bite.

“Why don't you resist, shas’ui?” Drakriss turn away frustrated.

“Does that make any sense, archon?” The Fire Warrior looked up at his tormentor.

"Pleasure me."

“I don't want to,” Nersu simply replied.

For a few seconds, the var’sin’da froze with indignation. Then a familiar smile blossomed on his face.

“Certainly, it appeals to me even more,” the archon licked his lips and clasped his tongue. “Fahhra was a fool, of course, but I should have rewarded him for bringing you. I want to see your smile."

Tau's jaw clenched convulsively, for a moment his muscles contracted in an unconscious desire to break free, to shout. The Fire Warrior's integrity was leaving him. Overwhelm himself, Nersu complied, showing his teeth like a human being. The archon squinted.

“It is a grimace, not a smile,” Drakriss said harshly, “Smile, as your people do!”

“No,” the tau decided he would not smile under duress.

The weighty slap, which the owner awarded him, made his teeth click.

"Smile!" Archon snapped, losing his temper.

Nersu noticed how the concubines, sharing a wide bed with the owner, recoiled in horror.

"I will not!"

Regardless the furious blows fell on the face of the Fire Warrior, the young man did not try to defend. This inflamed the var’sin’da even more. Ripping off the clothes from the prisoner, Drakriss laid himself over the slave body by his whole weight. Nersu groaned in pain as the rapist took possession of him.

"I will break you! You will dream to pleasure me. This will be the meaning of your life!"

"No... Never! No! No! Don't! Please!" Nersu was shouting at the full force of the lungs and squirmed in an attempt to free himself, but the archon's contented laughter was the only result.

The var’sin’da did not let him out of clutch even after he finished over. Nausea rolled up to the throat of the Fire Warrior, and the unbearable burning ache was hurting from the inside. The prisoner was cold, the blood flood from broken lips and his nasal fissure and was mixing with tears. The young man lay motionless, waiting for the next portion, feeling the sticky moisture on his thighs and the archon's hot breath. But master hesitated, and then suddenly buried himself in Nersu’s shoulder and start sob.

“Forgive me please,” he stroked his palms over the shoulders and face of the slave. “My love, forgive me.”

The Var’sin’da began to lull the tau in the arms. The Fire Warrior did not answer, deadly tired and wanting merely to fall asleep forever. The young man’s eyes were tightly closed, his shallow breathing was gasping and severe.

***

Staying blackout for many days, the shas’ui nevertheless survived the ordeal, thanks to the efforts of the Beldame. The servant gue’la has long ceased to fear the tau and tried her best to nurse the poor guy. When the Fire Warrior finally awake, he discovered that the pen is better now. A small room with painted white walls and comfortable furniture was warm and dry. Tiny, like a loophole, the barred window did not let the light in, and still, it would not be desirable to look at it. The skies of Commorragh remained an unpleasant sight. Sitting up in a bed, the shas’ui noticed a change: a new outfit hung on a rack near the wall instead of the old one torn by his owner in a rage. There were boots next to it, and on the chest of drawers were casual things: a couple of shirts, leg warmers, arm sleeves, a plastic comb, and bands for hair.

The shas’ui thought. If this was an attempt to apologize, the var’sin’da tried his best. If the way to humiliate the Fire Warrior, then the beast did fail. The door opened, and Drakriss entered the room.

"Finally, you have awaked, Ty’res!" taking a seat on a chair the archon smiled amiably, which made the tau feel uncomfortable, "Well, you have scared me. I was afraid that you would die."

"You had to think about it before assaulting me," the tau objected calmly.

A shadow of displeasure ran across the var’sin’da face. But the archon coped with himself. Drakriss made an inviting gesture drawing attention to the uniforms.

“Want to try on a new thing?” seeing the expression on the face of shas’ui, the master hastily added. “Don’t worry, it wasn’t taken from somebody. My people have access to Tau’va."

The Fire Warrior barely held back a shiver: agents of the Var’sin’da were able to get a new set of uniforms straight from the Tau Empire. Freedom and the house were so close and, at the same time, so out of reach. Nersu held back growing hope. Rising carefully to his feet, the young man went to the dresser. As the shas’ui expected, there was interchangeable linen in the drawer. Ignoring the master’s peer full of lust, the Fire Warrior changed into fresh underwear. Seat down on the bed, the tau began to pull the leg warmers, equipped with dense windings. The last turn came above the joint with the spur, and the Fire Warrior completed it with a decorative knot.

Looking up, Nersu saw a genuine interest on the archon's face.

“It never occurred to me that your legs should be secured up such way.”

"Thus, why there is not much tau in this place. Our hooves, despite their rough appearance, are more sensitive than the feet of other races."

The rest of the clothes did not rise the var’sin’da’s interest. But Drakriss’s eyes flashed when the tau used one of the hair bands to gather the sleeves of a wide undershirt. Then, Nersu arranged hair in a simple braid. This made his visitor nervously wriggling at his seat. The Fire Warrior aroused from the bed. There was a jacket remaining, hanging on the rack, and Drakriss slid ahead of the shas’ui in a snake-like manner.

“Don’t touch me!” Nersu spurned the archon, who was stretching out his hands to the tau.

Seeing the trembling of well-marked nostrils, the Fire Warrior bitterly congratulated himself. The beast sensed blood and would soon be awakened. The Var’sin’da smiled, showing sharp teeth, which were too many for the jaws of an intelligent creature.

“Well, let it be your way,” Drakriss retreated, watching as the young man hastily fastened. "Do you like it?"

Nersu nodded: a uniform was spick and span, sat like a glove, granting a long-forgotten sense of security. But he did not hype himself, in this place safety was just a delusion.

"Maybe something else is missing?"

An armored suit, a carbine, and a dozen grenades, the Fire Warrior thought frantically. However, he replied aloud.

“I got used to the clock,” seeing the interrogative glance of his master, the shas’ui continued, “the “Au’kan” brand is the best. I need beads for hair. The ones of ovidu wood are good. Plastic comb quickly comes into disrepair, instead, one carved from a nahan's bone is better. Your people have forgotten the tape for the undershirt.” The Var’sin’da nodded, recalling how the Fire Warrior used one of the ribbons. "To secure the knot on the gaiters, there are silver pins named ‘caor’la’. I need a trimmer for a haircut. Any type, battery-powered."

"My quitters will bring everything, and I will come every morning,” Drakriss’s gaze slid to Nersu's ankles, “I liked it. Breakfast is waiting."

The archon beckoned Nersu to the door and the prisoner had no choice but to follow his "benefactor." Drakriss's apartments met them with an unchanging atmosphere of despondency. The concubines served the men at the table, sneaking curious peeks at the tau. Nersu gloomy picked at his plate, trying not to think about the "dessert" and a hungry expression of the host's eyes. The shas’ui was dreary thinking whether he had the courage to starve himself to death, and could the guards prevent it.

"You have no appetite at all, Ty’res. I know what will cheer you up," the archon snapped his fingers, and several magnificently dressed maidens approached the table, "I was not sure which one you would like to taste. Choose any, or you can pick up all of them altogether."

The women, gue'la and var’sin’da, and possibly ar’cea, looked expectantly at tau. The shas’ui sighed heavily.

“What? A bit old? Or too tall? I chose among my beauties the most miniature ones.”

“You know, we are not into this sort of thing,” the Fire Warrior said with quiet indignation, but immediately bit his tongue, realizing what the next words of the archon would be.

His master grinned, exposing the yellowish teeth.

“Got it! What a blockhead I’m! Same as my poor Fahhra,” Drakriss leaned back in his chair. “Of course. Which one do you want, sweetie shas’la or maybe a higher rank? Well, and it will be necessary to explain for my blunts what woman you think is beautiful. They must be so fiery!”

“No!” the thought of the captive woman in the hands of this monster caused acute pain, “I do not need a lady. Any.”

The archon was genuinely having fun.

“Definitely, Fahhra would have lost his bet. Sad I’ve killed this clown. I miss him. Come on, I'll show you something.”

Nersu meekly followed the owner. The tau hoped no one would notice the loss of one of the knives. Keep chuckling the var’sin’da brought the prisoner to a spacious room. An empty chamber was stacked off by the evenly humming stasis boxes. The surface of the light-colored panels was marked by Kor’vattra signs. The variance in appearance prompted the soldier that the anabiosis capsules were obtained from different ships. Through a viewing cell of the nearest pod, the shas’ui could saw a sleeper: a swarthy young man, with bold open-face features, in a jumpsuit with the symbol of the Fire Caste. Surely from Vior’la or Sa’cea. The face of the unknown shas seemed pacified, as it should be of one who trusted himself to the machinery of Earth Caste and the talent of the kor’vattra pilots.

“It was very difficult to deliver these ‘coffins’ here without damaging the stuffing,” the archon said insinuatingly. “They're from different septs, I was curious how diverse your kin. Let's wake up one? Guess these martinets will be surprised when they figure out who they are visiting. Which one do you like, tender as a girl? Or do you prefer wild stallions?”

Unconscious of his action, the Fire Warrior turned around and tried to hit the archon. The monster was waiting for this and intercepted the soldier's fist. The response did not keep itself waiting. A heavy slap made the shas’ui fall down. Nersu tried to crawl away from the var’sin’da but his shoulder blades were stumble by one of the boxes. The archon stretched languidly and looked at the slave in anticipation. Sensing the vibrating cool case behind him the tau felt growing despair. Death meant only that this beast would wake one of the captured brothers. Swallowing tears, the Fire Warrior drop the knife and began to unbutton his jacket.

***

Following the promise, Drakriss came every morning to enjoy the "performance."

Everything the shas’ui listed was delivered in two days. The chronometer, worked by the Bork’an craftsmen, showed the sept's factory time. After comparing the serial number, Nersu discovered that it had been manufactured just a few weeks ago. Now shas’ui entwined his hair into a bundle of plaits, stringing wooden beads on the tip of each of them. Ovidu trees that grew only in Dal’yth had light wood, very impractical, suitable just for souvenirs. The hair comb was decorated with a simple geometric pattern. The commercial whaling was banned on T’au many centuries ago, thus such combs were incredibly rare, and severe punishment awaited poachers. Only residents of several villages on the coast of the reserve were allowed to use parts of animal carcasses thrown onshore. It was the way of T'au authorities to support the traditional crafts of the Earth Caste. Fragile, hand-painted baleen combs were valued among a small community of collectors and enthusiasts. Trade was permissible with a certificate confirming that the jewelry was made from the body of an animal died its own death. Dandy silver pins were often the subject of friendly jokes about Tash’var by fighters from other septs.

And Nersu thought about how easy all these things appeared in his jail at Commorragh. Even in Dal’yth, which is the trade crossroad of the Tau Empire, it could take many days to obtain such items.

The archon also tried to indulge his "pet". In a peculiar manner of Var’sin’da. After each particularly brutal abuse, the “repentance” followed. A gift that humiliated the captive more than violence itself. Exotic fruits from the legendary Au’taal-Prime, teasing with their freshness, did not arouse the interest of the Fire Warrior, as well as the silk garments, and other trinkets which he was generously received from Drakriss. Even the relative liberty of movement in the expanse of the upper levels of the spire, not pleased tau. He kept ignoring the vast galleries and greenhouses, with artfully arranged biospheres. Nersu often hid in the hall with stasis boxes, spending hours studying the dormant Fire Warriors. Twelve pods, a whole squad. The shas’ui learned the name of each of them scribed on the plank of the chest-pocket of the overalls and coinciding with the plate on the lid of the case. The skinny native of Bork’an with a roguish smile on his face, surely was a sniper. The two sa'cean had identification numbers differing only in one digit and were so similar in appearance that Nersu decided they were twins. The swarthy vior’lan, whom the Fire Warrior saw first, was in the rank of shas’ui too. There was even a formidable-looking jumbo from Ksy’m'yen, with an unpronounceable human nickname, typed after a sept and personal name of the tau. The prisoner of the Dark City struggled with the temptation to wake everyone up and tell them about reality. Yet there was something inside stopping him. Nersu, who desperately missed his fellow tribesmen, knew that after finding themselves in the nightmarish realm of Commorragh, his brothers would likely go mad. The Fire Warrior himself almost lost his mind, driving off the thought of disabling stasis boxes before it's too late.

“Watching for a girlfriend?" Drakriss’s voice made the tau flinch. The var’sin’da liked to sneak upon him. Sometimes, just scaring for fun, but often leaving a bleeding captive sobbing on the cold tiles of the crypt. “I would start with Tash’var one, his face pretty.”

The monster was in a good mood, and for Nersu the single look was enough to catch this. Slowly approaching his master, the shas’ui uttered in defiance.

“Why do I need to desire them? You are all I want.”

The archon's pleased expression was set off by an insane glitter of the eyes.

“Take off your clothes,” Drakriss ordered hoarsely.

The Fire Warrior snorted derisively, pretending that he did not hear the master.

“You behave like a primitive animal,” watching the hallmarks of growing rage on the archon’s face, Nersu casually said. "I want in the bedroom, on the silk sheets.”

Roaring with delight, the var’sin’da dragged the tau into his den. Nersu followed him like in a delirium. All that the warrior could think of was a fact that he still able to decoy the beast away from others. A few more weeks, perhaps months, separated his fellows from awakening in hell. The young man trembled imagined what will happen when the proprietor became bored with the current toy, and then the monster will proceed to the rest captives.

“Prepare him!” the owner barked, roughly pushing the young man to the concubines.

Women, laughing obsequiously, rushed to the Fire Warrior. Sometimes archon wished for "extravagant" leisure, and a poor fellow was dominated by the “flowers” of Drakriss. After a couple of cases, the women quickly figured out what would not kill or lame the tau captive. Forced by witches to intimacy, Nersu suffered. Women used a nasty metal and leather gadgets, similar to those applied to pacify mounts for treating the tau-soldier. The var’sin’da women’s were explicitly cruel, and the tau quickly learned to distinguish them from the rest. Their hatred gazes displayed the envy for the "favorite" of their Master. The ar’cea and gue'la, forced to appease the whims of the patron and fearing revenge from the companions, were milder. Nersu saw compassion in the stealth looks of the slaves. And also, gratitude. The archon, enthralled by the obstinate Fire Warrior, almost forgot about the other inhabitants of his Garden.

The young man pushed women away.

“I can do everything myself,” the burgeoning interest of his owner's added the confidence for a prisoner. “Why don't we stay alone?”

The var’sin’da’s gaze darted around the room. Concubines and servants rushed away, obey the order. The tau, shaking his hips, went to the wide bed.

***

Nersu softly sobbed, curled up in a quivering lump on the very edge of the bed. The tau froze, he was sad. The archon has not let the slave out of his bedroom for several days, gradually coercing him to more vile things.

“Ty’res, is it you whimper there?” the sleepy voice of his torturer made the captive fall silent.

Icy fingers touched the cheeks, on which tears left wet marks.

“Why are you crying?” the tau continued to lay silently. “Answer! Quick!”

Nersu heard a threat in the master's voice. A muffled growl suggested that the archon was goaded into the anger. The slave took a deep breath and start to speak.

“Once I was a Fire Warrior,” young tau voice was quiet and calm. “And now I'm nothing. Do what you want, I do not care anymore. You can kill me. Wake my brothers and excruciate them to death in front of my eyes - I do oppose no word. You got me. I'm dying, it's just a matter of time. Whether you kill me by your hand or not it doesn't matter now. There is nothing can be done. I'm apart of the Greater Good. There is no more me.”

The hastened breathing of archon was only answering. Nersu lay motionless in bed.

“Shas'ui,” the caress in drukhari voice made the captive wave. “Please, don’t cry. I love you.”

“This is not the love, there is no such thing in your world,” the Fire Warrior was tired, the strangling air of captivity deprived him of the strength to live. “You and your kind are just not capable of love. That’s why you are so lonely. All of your kin are split. Cripples among other nations. I sincerely regret after you, Archon.”

Sensing the movement, Nersu prepared for pain and humiliation. But instead of punishment for insult, the captive was covered with a warm blanket. Drakriss gently fondled his hair, fingering the hard strands.

“You're safe, my love. Sleep, I will not disturb your dreams,” a quiet voice seemed to belong to someone else.

***

In the morning, the shas’ui awakened in his room. Everything remained the same. Nersu lay in bed awaiting the visit of the archon, but Drakriss did not appear. The owner wasn't come either for dinner or for the evening, and the tau stay buried in his cozy refuge. The Fire Warrior avoided thinking about the archon who might be torturing one of the awakened brethren. So, a few days passed. Nersu seated in his shell, silent servants brought him food.

Suddenly the morning visitor appeared in the room. In obedience to the established routine, the shas’ui got out of bed and reached for things, intending to please the master.

“Don’t bother yourself, I came not for this,” the voice of the archon was gloomy. “What do you want?”

“Let me and my brothers go!”

Drakriss shook his head.

“It's out of the rule, you and the rest are my property. An archon should not let prey go out of his hands.”

“Then kill me.”

The Var’sin’da approached to the strained shas’ui. Gentle fingers ran through tau’s hair.

“My brave little soldier. Are you all such, Ty’res?”

“Don't call me that.” Nersu looked into the deathly eyes of the tormentor. “My name is Kais!”

The Fire Warrior had never been used to lie before, however, life in slavery taught a lot. The archon's bloodless lips bent in a smile.

“Ah, those boring tau! The half of canned meat is the same brand,” the var'sin'da had derided, mentioning the prisoners in the cold-sleep. “Well, as you wish, Kais.”

“My brothers?”

“As long as you are alive, they are safe,” the Great Serpent gave Tau an unblinking look.

The shas’ui swallowed a bitter lump. It was the least he could do for the rest.

“That’s all?” Drakriss grinned. “Any of my whores, in your place, would ask for half of the Commorragh! And then the rest! Don’t you want anything else?”

“I need nothing. Do whatever you want.”

The Var’sinda slanted his snake-like body over the tau.

“You will spend the nights in my bed. I swear, I won't hurt you anymore. And every morning I will watch you dress,” the archon laughed, “But, for the sake of my grandfather’s wrinkled butt, dump off these stupid pins from Tash’var!”

*** 

Existence has followed a new course. And although the Fire Warrior had to spend his nights in the master's bedroom, life was not so bitter. Drakriss followed the oath, as usual, in his own way interpreting the promise: forcing the captive to intimacy, remained cautious, giving courtesy instead of pain. The shas’ui did not argue, abjectly fulfilling his master’s petty “whims”. A restless var’sin'da once brought books on Tau’s ancient history and subtracted from them about the once-existing Wood Caste of artists and painters. It so enthralled him that Nersu had to change his uniform to silk clothes, and soldier's boots to embellished togue-sandals. The Fire Warrior no longer went into a room with stasis boxes, experiencing irrational fear.

“All the same. You are doing it badly,” Drakriss once remarked, watching the shas’ui attempt to gorge through the apartments sedately, trying not to tangle in the trailing skirts of a hand-embroidered gown. “You are too clumsy.”

“I am a soldier. I was not taught for this.”

Meaningless skirmishes were common and it scared nobody now. On the contrary, everyone knew that communicating with a “talking animal” could cheer the bad mood of the Kabal heir. Petitioners and sneaks quickly figured out that the best gift could be the one that would occupy the Great Serpent with his dainty for a long time. Thus, the standard armor in T’au sept colors, honorary blades, and many other things useless for the prisoner appeared at the disposal of the archon. The indignation with which the shas’ui rejected the attributes of the last life of the Fire Warrior brought the archon to a new thought.

“You're idling here, so you always walk around with a surly look,” Drakriss told him once, “And I have totally loose my shape too. We must do something about it.”

The Fire Warrior awarded master by morose look.

The archon led him into his armory. Among racks with trophy weapons and equipment, the tau's eye spotted the angular armor. The black shell, undoubtedly worked out by var’sin’da, was notable for its strict design to be familiar for the Fire Caste representative. On the breastplate, instead of the symbol of Tau’va a fanciful emblem of Kabal was inscribed.

“Try it on,” commanded the lord of the tower, “I’ve ordered it for you from our best gunsmiths. The carbine has not yet been manufactured, but so far the blade is enough,” Drakriss gave him the sword in a sheath matching the armor.

The young man incredulously touched unfamiliar material. Throwing off uncomfortable clothes, Nersu gets dressed. The armor was felt as if it was as a second skin. A compact force field generator substituted a large pauldron.

“Excellent! This probably worth the Midnight Dragon’s eyes,” the var’sin’da was contented. “Let’s go, grandfather waits.”

Passing behind many passages, and leaving the archon's chambers, Nersu found himself in a vaguely familiar part of the tower. Barracks for slaves, where a few months ago, tau bade his life. Drakriss brought his pet right into the box on the home arenas for gladiators. The tau saw the empty ground and dark spots on the white sand.

The Midnight Dragon, the gray-haired lord of the tower, sat on the throne awaiting a new performance. On the wrinkled face froze grimace of contempt. Nearby were his comrades and bodyguards. The tau felt uncomfortable among so many var’sin’da-fighters. Drakriss with a cheerful smile took his place on the right hand of his grandfather.

“Kais!” patting the knee, the young heir expressively looked at the Fire Warrior.

The shas'ui was lost for a second, not knowing where to go. But going up to the sitting man, Nersu realized that except for taking a place at the feet of the owner, there was nothing left for him. Well, at least tau can abstain from watching the "show" in detail. Kneeling down, the Fire Warrior started to reconnoiter of the hosts of Commorragh life and death. Noticing the gaze of the Midnight Dragon, the shas'ui drop his eyes down. The fear gripped his heart with an icy hand.

“Is this the animal that my grandson is laying with as dirty rumors says?” the voice of grandfather of Drakriss sounded like tearing flesh.

“Lord, not all the gossip in this city are dirty lies,” purred the young archon, putting a cool hand on Nersu's neck and caressing the tau with gentle dabs. “A man must experience all the possible pleasures the universe offers. Especially so unusual.”

Tau noticed the angry gazes of some of the older man’s retinue bestowed upon Drakriss.

“My unprofitable brother should have attended to the heirs, and not fornication with dirty cattle,” the golden-haired woman sitting beside the lord of the Tower laughed contemptuously. The sound came out like silver bells gently sang in the wind.

“Ah, sis, your touching concern for the continuation of my kind - relief for my soul,” the Great Serpent returned the mockery, “How are you doing, Ivanelle? Are you still trying to kill my grandfather and me? Or did Vekt decide that he has enough whores besides you?”

Rage distorted the features of a woman, nonetheless, there was no answer.

The movement began in the arena, and the tau saw a squad of warriors in spiked armor. Each carried an ominous weapon in the hands. The heavy gates opened and a large group of gue’la was jostled into the arena, driven by warders. Poorly armed people acted disorganized and quickly turned out to be hacked by the Var’sin’da fighters. Nersu wanted to turn away from the spectacle of carnage, but the hard fingers of Drakriss’s did not allow it. When the agony cries of the executed humans died down, scarce applause was heard in the box. Slaves served the gentlemen drinks and refreshments.

“And yet, what kind of freak is this?” wiping his lips, the old man, put his glass on the tray, obligingly beared by the maid.

“They call themselves Children of the Greater Good, the inhabitants of the Tau Empire, grandpa,” Drakriss laughed softly, “Kais, the representative of the Fire Caste, their military. They are called a Fire Warriors.”

A smirk touched the lips of the Midnight Dragon.

“And what, is this golliwog can fight? I see the blade.”

Nersu was silent, not looking up from the floor. Only now the young man grasped how kindhearted, by the standards of the Var’sin’da people, his lord. If the shas’ui incur the wrath of the archon's grandfather, even the patronage of Drakriss will not save the guilty one from cruel reprisal.

“The Fire Warriors are good rifleman, much better than the mon’keigh. Meanwhile, the fencers among them are rare.”

“Let him show his skill!” the old man made a sign command by hand.

Two fighters-Incubi seized Nersu and brought him to the edge of the box. One of the bodyguards thrusted a var’sin’da rifle into the hands of the Fire Warrior. The weapon was unusual but handy. Another group of gue’la was thrown into the arena causing the tau soldier’s consternation. The shas’ui had distinguished the low silhouettes of younglings among the adults. Var’sin’da looked at the shas’ui in anticipation.

“Well, shoot,” the white-haired monster looked expectantly at the Fire Caste representative.

“I bet the blue freak will fail as soon as mon’keigh start stir,” the archon’s sister said.

“My dear, from such distance, tau, if desires, can kill mon’keigh with a shot in the eye. As you wish either left orb or the right. Having previously shot off each finger on the arm and the leg,” the archon licked his lips in anticipation, “Come on, Kais! Show us what sharpshooter the Fire Warriors are!”

Nersu looked into the empty eyes of the seated lords of the Tower. These creatures craved blood. Gue’la on the white sand of the arena, lumped together, reminding the flock of _bekalsa_ frightened by thunder. Prisoners of war and civilians, equally helpless and defenseless. Killing them for the amusement of these monsters, was more ignominious than betraying himself in the archon's bedroom.

“I can't,” the shas’ui lowered his rifle, “They are unarmed. I will not do it this way.”

“What?!” the grandfather of Drakriss screamed in anger, rising from his seat, “Does this tyke dare to contradict me?”

But the next moment, the Midnight Dragon burst out laughing. Continuing to laugh, the old var'sin’da, wiping away tears, sat down on his throne. The faces of the other nobles appeared wry grins.

“Indeed, grandson, this “Warrior of the Fire” is the paltriest thing that I have ever seen for my remarkably a very long life. What kind of degenerates are these “taus”, since their soldiers behave like a coward?”

“I'm glad you liked it, grandpa.”

The evil laughter of the golden-haired girl made Nersu shudder.

“The fall of our dynasty is so dreadful! The archon not just offers his ass to this blue-skinned geek, but also allows the slave to dictate what to do,” the voice of Ivanelle sounded with an undisguised mockery. “What next? Will you force noble drukhari warriors to serve your mon’keigh whores? Or to cater to this blue oaf?”

The approval manifested on the faces of many testified that the words of Ivanelle resonated in the hearts of the Kabalith. Nersu noticed how Drakriss's face changed. Archon's sister managed to summon the beast.

“No one dares to tell me what to do!” The Great Serpent jumped to his feet, “Especially you, daughter of a whore!”

The woman in the chair turn pale, fear appeared on the faces of Ivanelle’s warriors. The archon pivoted to the tau. His unblinking gaze was fixed on the prisoner.

“Shoot, slave! And so, no-slip!”

Shas’ui grasped: if he refuses, Drakriss will kill him personally. It was a welcome redemption. He regarded the seated grandees, warriors, and menials, lingering on one of the gue'la servants. Nersu recognized the slave: a woman was brought in the same party with him, and in front of his eyes, the guards killed her child. Abruptly, tau recognized that in the eyes of the woman was prayer, instead of the fear. Nersu turned to the white sand, people huddled together, apprehend that something terrible was being prepared. Men, women, teenagers, and children. The look of a slave-woman begged not for pity, but for mercy. The shas’ui thought about tau-fellows sleeping in the cryo-chambers…

“Where is the safety?” with a tone as smooth as possible asked the young man.

The bloodthirsty smile played on the archon's lips.

“Our weapons do not need it.”

The Fire Warrior raised his gun, judging the weight and balance. Carefully aiming, the tau made a shot. The shell hit the head of a tall soldier, splitting the human skull into pieces. The next second, people, screaming, rushed scattered. Nersu shot at short intervals, finding targets with measured restrained movements. One shot - one kill. Few of the unfortunates were trying to hide under the wall of the pit but were driven into open space by overseers, where they were caught by a shas’ui shot.

When finished, the Fire Warrior turned away from the scene. There was a gaping emptiness in his chest, and the Tau warrior did not understand why he feels nothing.

“Bravo,” The Midnight Dragon clapped his hands, “Not bad, grandson. The slave does not hurt to give a little gloss, although there is something charming in such savagery. Are their women ugly as well?”

“Even more, grandpa. Also, stinky.”

The servants of the archon’s grandfather took the rifle from the hands of the shocked Fire Warrior and led to the chair of the gentleman, forcing him to kneel. The rest of the dinner Nersu sat at the feet of Drakriss as a beaten dog, hardly realizing what was just happened. The owner tried to regale Nersu from his plate, but the piece did not go down the soldier’s throat. Before the eyes stood the images of the murdered gue’la. The obsessive courtesy of Drakriss, flavored with vulgar and cruel jokes of the guests, left no doubt what would take place in the bedroom.

*** 

Everything occurred as Nersu expected. Var’sin’da never kept the oaths, except those that pursued their interests. In the morning, the Great Serpent appeared in the prisoner's bedroom. Changing the clothes, Nersu noticed that blood was still trickling from the tortured body. It was hard to move and breathe: Drakriss stabbed him all night, mocking and reveling in the helplessness of the slave. Having finished dressing, Nersu froze in the middle of the room, clasped his teeth, and hugged himself by the hands. There was only thought repeatedly bounced in his brain. The Fire Warrior had to give up and let them kill him. And to care no more about those in cryoboxes.

The shadow of the Great Serpent loomed over him. Cold fingers touched the bruised face of the tau.

“Poor thing, I was so rude to you,” the words sounded like the rustling of dead grass. Nersu did not answer, barely keeping his feet, “You look so bad.”

Drakriss took Nersu to bed and carefully arranged on pillows.

“Kais, please understand, I could not act otherwise,” there was regret in the voice of his possessor. “Everyone should know that the authority of the archon is indisputable and absolute. This is Commorragh’s order, my love.”

“Do you really love me?” Nersu asked incredulously.

“Of course,” Snake was smiling softly, “Though you don't seem to believe me.”

“If this is true, kill me! Stop my torment, please,” the tau looked into the cruel eyes of the var’sin'da with a plea.

“I can’t,” Drakriss’s smile turned sad, “It is called "egoism" and in your language, there is no word to describe this concept for a long time*. I do not want to apart with you, Kais. Never.” Drakriss rose to his feet and headed for the exit.

“Get well, women will take care of you.”

The servants appeared immediately after the door closed behind the archon. Gue'la-slaves brought with them medicine and food. Delicate hands removed the Fire Caste uniform and took care of the wounds of his body. The tau lay eyes closed, exhausted. A cool touch on his face brought relief, maid hands gently stroked hair. The tau opened his eyes. Nersu acknowledged the woman sitting in front of him. In her eyes was a warmth, which the Fire Warrior had not seen for a long time.

“Have you met tau before?” Nersu asked with insight.

“I’m from Ksy’m'yen,” the woman replied at Tau'no'por. The native speech caused an acute attack of nostalgia.

“Your child, those all people, I'm so sorry,” Nersu remembered the insane cries of the unfortunate and the bloody orgy in the arena.

“There was nothing to be done,” the woman sighed. “It is better. For all of us.”

Gue’vesa looked at the other slaves.

“I told them about you, but they still don’t believe how benevolent the Fire Warriors are.”

Nersu was silent: horrid recall of traveling to the slave market seemed insignificant after all that tau had experienced in the Tower. But the cruelty of the Gue’la captives to their own tribesmen, especially to women, left an indelible mark on a Fire Caste representative. The warrior looked at Gue’vesa: another penitential gift from the archon.

“Are there somebody else like you?” the maid shook her head negatively. “How should I call you?”

“Jhi,” in Tau language it meant “Broken”. “And your name is Kais?”

Tau nodded, it was easy to lie now, and an act did cause no denial anymore.

“Our Lord wants you to get better. They liked what you did.”

“I will not kill anymore!”

“Kais, the death isn't the worst thing in this place,” only now the Fire Warrior saw despair in the eyes of a woman. Gue’vesa longed for death, but like Nersu she was forced to live. Having finished with his wounds and assisted him with breakfast, the women withdrew. And the thoughts of a young man returned to fellows in anabiosis chambers. Does he have enough fortitude? And what will happen next?

Drakriss came at every morning, pleased that the Fire Warrior is quickly recovering. Jhi replaced the Beldame and the tau found solace in conversations with Gue’vesa. Nersu also demonstrated to the woman stasis chambers with precious content. Despite the terror of the situation, the sleeping Fire Warriors aroused her keen interest. The shas’ui was happy to talk about the septs’ customs, while Gue’vesa shared her memories and taught to pronounce the sobriquet of the stalwart tau with scar-face. Hopelessness, which owned the young man from the moment of capture began to retreat. Jhi also turned cheerful: the maid of the archon's favorite toy was granted immunity and hence was protected from the violence that befell other slaves.

Strengthened enough, Nersu, to the delight of the archon and his grandfather, participated in the massacres of the unfortunate captives. The Fire Warrior was supplied with a pulse carbine and rifle, worked by the best gunsmiths of the var’sin’da. The tau didn’t argue. Jhi was able to convince the soldier that the doom he brings is not the worst fate for the majority of the hostages of the Dark City. Drakriss, meanwhile, exalted, and never for a moment wished to apart with the minion, who became submissive to the will of the owner. The feast usually followed the slaughter, and the archon kept Nersu nearby to hand-fed his “pet” by the best pieces from the table. The Midnight Dragon indulgently looked at the depraved extravagance of the grandson, laughing on muted indignation of the young Kabalits of own suite. Only the archon’s sister, the golden-haired Ivanelle dared to express aversion.

“How disgusting that a brother allows this unclean animal to eat at our table.”

The archon, being in a good mood, tolerated those insults from his relative only to wrap them in a greater humiliation. Chuckling, the var’sin’da began to “comfort” the indifferent Nersu.

“Well-well don’t cry my little Kais, the stupid sister has a cold and she doesn’t aware that I’ve bathed you yesterday,” Drakriss sniffed the tau defiantly, in his voice appeared sham displeasure. “Or did you again plunge with your little hooves into the mon’keigh dung? What a clumsy you are!”

The guests usually laughed loudly after such jokes. The tau kept quiet, not paying attention to the host's taunts.

“And yet,” one of the Dracon cautiously objected. “Ivanelle is right, such relations with the lower being blurs the dignity of a true Drukhari.”

Nersu, who was sitting on the owner’s lap, felt the var’sin’da’s fingers dig into his flesh for a second. The talker was on the verge of death, without even realizing it, but the archon restrained his anger.

“A dirty half-breed will never understand that a genuine aristocrat may possess eccentricity inaccessible for a rabble,” the archon leaned toward his prisoner and bit into his lips. Nersu did not resist. From that night on, the host had never used brute force, but it was obvious to tau that this was only a matter of time. Looking up from his “trophy”, Drakriss grinned, his deadly eyes found the debater, throwing him into horror. “In the end, it is only me who decides what Archon can afford or not.”

“Nevertheless, grandson, it’s time to tie up your boyish fancy with pocket animals,” a cosmic cold winn in the voice of the Midnight Dragon. “I want to see another little Dragon!”

“Grandpa, but I'm still so young!” the feigned indignation of the prince var’sin’da was laughing, but the heavy look of the Lord of the Tower made the archon hush and the rest to shiver. The old man did not tolerate objections.

“Drakriss, I don't care how many blue stallions you will allow to cover your skinny trunk,” the grandfather glanced at the tau, his lips curved in disgust, “But my decision is not negotiable. I picked for you the brides of the purest blood, from the most high-born Kabals, in order to strengthen our clan and expand our influence. You are the blood of my blood and inherited a bit of my daughter, the brilliant Drakaina. So, you should behave yourself accordingly,” regret appeared in the old man's voice, “I had to lay with my treasure by myself, and not trust the conception of the Successor to my miserable son.” The Midnight Dragon threw a derogatory gaze towards Ivanelle. “Do not disappoint me, Drakriss, as your father did once!”

The golden-haired witch was sitting with an impenetrable face, but Nersu saw anger, burning with a hellish flame in her eyes. The Var’sin’da princess was crazier than the archon and all at the room. The Great Serpent bowed his head to hide the grin from his sister's eyes.

“My Lord, I will obey your wise decision,” Nersu felt a light slap on the buttocks, “Scat, Kais! Shoo!”

There was no need was to persuade tau. And almost running, the Fire Warrior had returned to the Drakriss apartments. Huddling up in his room, Nersu was shaking in a horror: var’sin’da were not living beings made of flesh and blood, instead, they appear real monsters from ancient legends. Curling into a ball, tau mumbled repeatedly the only word. “_Ranerra’m’denta… Ranerra’m’denta_...”

***

Jhi was gone. The Fire Warrior has not seen a gue’vesa woman for a couple of days. Drakriss got lost somewhere too, although this is not particularly saddened Nersu. Every day the darkness of madness more and more absorbed the owner. The captive was thinking about stasis cameras. The thought of sleeping fighters became so obsessive that frightened tau. Nersu wanted to wake them up, to hear ringing young voices, to get to know each one better. The prisoner scrolled in his head dialogues with his relatives: discussing the novelties of the Earth Caste with natives of Fal’shia and Bork’an or debating about honor with sa’ceians. Nersu had speculated what they are, his fellows. The stern son on Vior’la could share the combat experience, the fair-skinned dal'yth tau and Fire Warrior from Ksy'm'yen probably knew the languages of humans and could tell so many hilarious stories about aliens. They could share new jokes about caor’la-pins with the brave tash'var. And Nersu would tell them about the blue heaven of T’au, about the golden sand, the warm ocean, and the murmur of the surf at night. About how being a kid, he, and other cadets, secretly had fled from the academy to splash in the shallow. Then, after AWOLs were finally caught, they were beaten the hell out by the instructors. Memories of the endless ocean surface and migrating whales, raising swarm of rainbow splashes with their white tails and flippers, plunged the captive into despondency. Nersu diligently banished these thoughts: the house is inaccessible, every day it became obvious to the prisoner. Even what Jhi had told him about the var’sin’da technologies that could have led the fugitive home did not inspire hope. The maid was able to master the language of the rulers and learned to read their letters. One of the lowest Kabalit warriors who “rewarded” the slave with his attention were careless and talkative: from him, Gue’vesa learned how do portals work, but he then mockingly explained to the “silly one” that without a reliable guide, the escape would turn into eternal wanderings in the incredible dimension of the Web.

Tau lay on the floor and stared at the ceiling. Nersu was waiting for his master.

Instead of the Great Serpent, a wan eunuch-gue’la appeared, a stooped old man with a mutilated face. With a voice stammering in horror, the slave asked for the “treasure” to appear in the suite of the “young master”. The Fire Warrior rose from the floor, on which he spent several hours, perhaps days. Having put himself in order, shas'ui slowly dressed. Carefully straightening the folds on the clothes, Nersu meticulously studied himself in the mirror. Finally, he strapped a couple of honorary blades of the Fire Warrior to his belt. Drakriss did not leave attempts to teach the captive fencing and hope, one day, to assess the success of his pet in the arena. Nersu thought that the archon was probably tired waiting and wanted to see his toy as soon as possible. Nobody must make the Prince of Var’sin’da angry.

“You have phenomenal talent, Kais!” the archon rushed around the room while his slaves and servants jitter in the corners. “You tune the property to revolt against its master! First Fahhra, then these whores!”

The rout in the room testified that the host’s anger had been fumed for hours. In the middle of the room, Nersu saw a pallor body in a pool of blood. He recognized the crippled woman. Half of Jhi’s face vanished; instead, the Fire Warrior saw charred, blood-drenched meat, with white clots sticking out of it. Another part, though bloodied, remained relatively intact. The woman was still breathing.

“Bitch tried to poison you!” come up to the woman archon struck a blow to her belly with a boot. A heavy squishing sound came out, “The carrion ruined the stasis hall!”

Shas’ui indifferently watched the owner’s deadly hysteria. Drakriss as a freaking bat flounce around his chamber, smashing furniture and handing out kicks to the servants. Nersu noticed the blood of some unlucky, who were not agile enough to get out of the way of the beast.

“So, he ordered you to get rid of all whores?” the tau asked in an even voice, “Including me?”

Drakriss stood rooted to the spot.

“How do you know? Who told you?”

Tau sniffed contemptuously, var’sin’da engaged in their petty interests often missed the big picture.

“It is obvious. He needs the heirs, and the archon's skinny bottom is least appropriate soil for the seed granted by the Fire Warrior.”

Snake's black eyes dug into the tau.

“Are you mocking on me too?” the man turned to his trembling concubines, “Who of those bitches have advised you?”

“Is it not a true, Archon? Your raucous moans were pretty loud to be heard at the Great Gates.”

“My little brave Kais. The Children of the Greater Good will not lie even in front of Death, aren't you?”

Nersu snorted again.

“A lie is a sword with reverse sharpening, in the first turn, it is dangerous for a liar himself. If your people were able to understand this simple truth, known to everyone born in the Greater Good, you would not have stagnated in such a miserable form, clogged, like spiders, in the dark corners of the Galaxy.”

“Now I see!” Archon's rustling laughter rang out under the arches. “Are you trying to create here a piece of your squalid Empire? Look what your sermons have done with this human whore!”

Jhi, still conscious, could distinguish the voice of the Fire Warrior. Her broken hand, twisted in unnatural angle, scrubbed the floor as if the forlorn was looking for mercy from her protector. The tau was looking at Gue’vesa: with proper medical care, the woman could survive, like the Beldame and the other unfortunate servants before. Nersu bend over Jhi. A sharp movement and his shimmering honorable blade passed through the flesh of the neck and dug into the spine uttering a crunch sound. The tau wrinkled when blood splashed on his face and uniform. The insane Gue’vesa, who decided to relieve the suffering of the Fire Warrior, died without a sound.

Drakriss squinted, bewilderment arose in the monstrous eyes.

“You gave her an easy death? She ditched your precious brothers,” the archon's insane whisper turned into a hysterical yelping, “Well, doesn’t matter, I'll get us new ones. Everything will be as before!”

“And I will turn off the stasis boxes again to protect them from you,” Nersu calmly objected. With a precise gesture, tau shake off the human blood from the blade and sheath the weapon.

The shas’ui indifferent glance slid over those in the room: concubines, maids, and slaves. The archon’s personal property trembled, looking at the low tau. Nersu passed his lord, who was stunned by the revelation and standing among his shocked retainers. The tau went to the armory: a shortened carbine, for the close combat, was on the spot. Drakriss's face twisted with hatred and awareness of betrayal when the Fire Warrior reappeared in the room, with the weapon at the ready. The shas’ui curiously noted a swift motion of his master exhibiting the force field activator of armor. Drakriss was barehand, and the Shas’ui carbine was much more powerful than the analogs of the Earth Caste. The Great Serpent had to rely only on his supernatural speed.

“It would take too long with a sword,” Nersu said simply, revolving to the confused servants, who froze awaiting.

After his words, a panic flooded the room. Slaves and servants tried to escape but there was no salvation. The tau methodically shot everyone. The hardest thing was to deal with the concubines of the var'sin’da. But Drakriss, recovering from the shock, laughed, hurled his fury at the nimble witches. The rest of the women did not give him any problems: gue’la was begged for mercy or as ar’cea, did not resist, accepting death with gratitude from the hands of the Fire Warrior. The tau killed them fast, shooting in the head. Tracking down and murdered everyone in the room, Nersu returned to his master. Drakriss was breathing heavily, the butchery inebriated the Great Serpent, his pale cheeks flushed, and crazy joy made his eyes blaze.

“Oh, Kais!” The Var’sin’da's melodious voice was full of energy, “I’ should have taken you in raids, not for the bedroom!”

Tau shrugged, he felt nothing. The void inside has no longer hurt him.

“The case is not over,” seeing the archon’s puzzled look, the Fire Warrior patiently continued, “Your grandfather ordered to kill everyone.”

Coming closer to the archon, the shas’ui took the honorary blade out of the scabbard and pointed sword to his own chest.

“I can do it myself if you want,” the young man looked up to the var’sin’da, “But it would be better if you help me. I have steel pins in the sternum, and the blade can get stuck.”

Nersu grabbed the guard with both hands and pressed with all his might. The blade, breaking through the fine fabric and skin, was stopped by Drakriss's hand. The sadness distorted noble features of the Great Serpent and dark eyes shone with the light of distant stars of the past.

“Please… Don’t… Child of the Greater Good.”

Shas’ui looked at his tormentor, feeling just the serenity of the doomed.

“I don’t belong to Tau’va anymore, archon.”

But the strong hands of the Var’sin’da pulled the weapon from Nersu’s palms. The tau felt his legs buckle and the fatigue that had accumulated over the months took over him. Fallen to the floor in exhaustion, Nersu docilely waited for his fate. Hope has not faded away yet, after the bloody feast his wearer will soon want a special “treat”. The weakened Fire Warrior could not even expect to survive till morning. The hands of the Great Serpent, cold and harsh, touched Nersu, and the prisoner wondered whether to resist in order to whet the beast's “appetite”. But he so tired and was jaded by longing for loved ones, for unreachable home. The Var’sin’da cautiously raised the tau from the blood-soaked floor.

“Let's go. You can't stay here.”

Leading the prisoner through the deserted level, Drakriss was silent. The message of brutal massacre reached the very foundation of the tower, and the court sycophants hid like cockroaches in the cracks. Nobody wanted to cross path with the Great Serpent as well as his tamed killer xenos.

Drakriss brought Nersu to a nondescript door and activated the locker device. Frame slowly parted and the dark corridor was poured by light. Drakriss pushed the tau towards the doorway.

“This is the Patron’s seal, my father taught me,” the archon pointed to the flickering symbols above the door, “Even I cannot enter inside without the permission of the owner. Its’ your refuge, Kais.”

Stepping inside the spacious room, the Fire Warrior hardly coped with amazement. The walls decorated with light panels resembled the interiors of the ships of Kor’vattra. A soothing, familiar atmosphere: the smooth furniture made of bright wood, in tune with polished floorboards, a bit bland, after the elaborate adornment of the archon's chambers. Vivid, even illumination, abstract paintings on the walls. The shas’ui felt the familiar smell: a mixture of domestic machinery aromas, flowery fragrance of household chemicals, and in a little – ozone, like after a rain. The wall-wide holo-screen from the floor to the ceiling created the illusion of a panoramic window, behind which the phosphorescent ocean was splashing under the starry heavens of T’au. It was a piece of home, reproduced by the sinister technologies of the Var’sin’da, and the first time for the many months, the tau felt truly safe. And then Nersu remembered the archon's last words. This place is beyond the reach of a monster.

The cry of a mortally injured beast echoed from the smooth walls. The shas’ui shouted, releasing his pain. The oasis was useless for a tau if there was nobody else to share. The Fire Warrior could save them by hiding here. His poor Jhi, unacquainted brothers from the Fire Caste, all those unfortunate ar'cea and gue’la. Nersu, distraught of grief, howled, uttering a sound belonging to a wild animal, rather than an intelligent being. But besides the echo, nothing disturbed the dead tranquility of this place.

***

Prisoner of var’sin’da opened his eyes. The havoc in the room that appeared to him was the work of the hands of a madman. Wreckage of furniture and upholstery scraps were scattered across the room. Somewhere wall panels were cut off, exposing the plain concrete, remaining siding - spattered with blood and brown spots. The destruction refrained only from the holo-screen. The armored window displayed the unreal world of T’au: the scenery of an oceanside home. Lazy ripples stirred the clear water, the early evening colored the sky in pink and emerald tones, and the sunset shed golden light around the room. Evening illumination has not yet turned on, although perhaps the home automation was also damaged, like everything else in the room.

Nersu realized that he is dying of thirst and tried to get up, but he couldn’t. Feeling the moisture on the skin of the waist, the prisoner thought wearily that the beast had been here, breaking the promise, as he had done many times before. But turning over on its side, the young man finds himself lying in a pool of his own excrement and urine. Hardly reaching to the bathroom, the tau was able to quench his thirst. Then he began to clean up himself. Standing under hot streams of water, Nersu aloofly thought he feels nothing. Death and destruction, the witness, and the participant of which the Fire Warrior became, no longer touched him. The monster has succeeded, he warped and swallowed Nersu’s soul. The seeds of evil made root inside. Even the death of the brothers from his hand did not cause emotions. The master transmuted Fire Warrior malevolent, alike his own kin. Nersu thought of a slave who secretly prepared poison for him. Poor Jhi, she saw the insanity that spread up in Fire Warrior, and which already swallowed her own soul without a trace. Faithful gue’vesa wanted to save at least this splinter of the Greater Good.

After washing off the dirt and bandaging his bleeding hands, which he had bitten by himself, the tau looked for clean clothes. Among the wrecked cabinets, he managed to find a survived set of casual uniforms and shoes. Shaving off the hair grew up on his temples, the young man looked at his reflection in the mirror: extinct eyes and skin tightening the skull, pointy cheekbones, bloodless sunken cheeks, now almost as pale as his master's. Nersu wondered how many of them were here, the prisoners of the Tower of the Midnight Dragon? Withered by the thirst of their master's, women and men stupefied with illusions about deliverance and escape. And whether there were any tribesmen of the Fire Warrior among them. Neatly dressed up, the shas’ui headed for the exit. Despite there is only death awaited the Fire Warrior outside, he wanted to remain among the false shatters of Tau’va even less.

Var’sin’da patiently waited for their prey. Guards in black armor led the shas’ui with a familiar road. Drakriss met the pet in his restored quarters. The Fire Warrior appreciated an innovation: splendid women in luxurious armor were relentlessly following their sovereign. The Great Serpent appeared even taller than Nersu remembered. The archon of the Kabal of Pernicious Lotus, the master of the life and death of the Tower of the Midnight Dragon, gazed with burning eyes at the little tau.

“I thought you never get out of there, Kais!”

“Is this that animal people talk about? His face is ugly,” one of the devils approached the prisoner. The man’s dry laughter was the answer to the woman.

“Yes, my Fire Warrior looks bad. I gave him the refuge of my beloved, where the poor fellow spent the whole week dreading my caresses.”

“Dear, what a sentimental nonsense? You could rip it out from there for a long-ago!” laughed one of the witches. “I used to listen to these tales of love that knows no boundaries when I was a kid. My nanny told them to me until I bored. Then this arrogant Aeldari slug entertained me for a long time. By very different tales.”

The Fire Warrior stood with his eyes closed, he was not touched by the words of the witch. Predators had circled around him, scenting the easy quarry.

“You are probably starving to death, Kais,” the archon gently pushed Nersu to the table, “Let me take care for you, my love!”

The gourmet food had no taste, or he had forgotten how to feel it. Fearful views of monsters proposed that they hunger for blood. The former favorites of the Great Serpent, whores-var’sin’da, were harmless water snakes, compared to these wyverns. One of the brides mockingly examined Nersu, who was sitting next to the archon. Her gaze was full of malice and at the same time contempt.

“That hole on his face, Drakriss, isn’t it too narrow for your ‘beast’?”

“Oh, no, Liktara,” the archon was objected laughing, “It’s better not to be poked, for a tau it is instant death. While I want to prolong my pleasure.”*

The Var’sin’da sat Nersu on his lap and gave him a gentle embrace. The tau felt the Ranerra’m’denta’s breath, warmed by the multitude of lives taken by the monster from his victims.

“Grandpa wants me to get rid of him. He says that he is tired of listening to slander tattle about his grandson,” Drakriss gently ran his finger along the captive tau trembling breathing slit, “I think my old man is frantic because he understands: these stories do not correspond to the whole truth even in a half.”

The languid smiles on the faces of the brides could not hide their annoyance and envy. The Fire Warrior realized that the Great Serpent did not bestow any of them with affection, which he did not stint on for his concubine.

“Really, is the Toothless Viper right? Is this bovine animal so fascinated you?” the face of the female var’sin'da stretched out in surprise, and the archon smiled tenderly at his brides.

“Perhaps these are the only words of truth that my mediocre sister uttered in her life,” the archon laughed. “But this kind of pleasure can be delivered by tau solely.”

“Does he have something special between his legs?” the interest of the woman made Nersu feel nauseous.

“No, it's alike the mon’keigh, but the thing is different,” seeing the puzzled looks of the women, Drakriss showed the tip of his tongue smiling. “The Greater Good forbids any contacts out of their own castes, especially as I forced him to do. For a petite honest tau, this is violence against its very nature. Kais always cries, giving me pleasure as a man.

“Sir, now I see how superb your taste is,” one of the witches said reverently, “Gruff plebeians, accustomed to excessive pleasures, cannot understand how charmingly pleasant a simple dish can be. Is this only tau in your collection? Will you let me have such pets? How long do they live? Is it easy to breed them?”

The disgusting curiosity of a woman might have earlier frightened or arouse indignation, but now the shas’ui remained reasonably silent. The archon laughed.

“I'm afraid I’ll disappoint you, honey Besme. Tau is a useless commodity, worse than mon’keigh: short-living mayflies, and die before they reach the Commorragh market,” the var'sin'da put his quivering fingers on Nersu's shoulder. “Poor Fahhra, unfairly offended, barely found this one, breaking Commorragh's floor. And, believe me, efforts to sustain his life are worth the cost of a couple of hundred of mon’keigh-slaves.”*

Besme disappointedly turned away, losing interest in the worthless slave. But the loathing looks of Liktara made the young man feel the fear that he seemed no longer able to experience. The bride of the Great Serpent was jealous of his master to the little “favorite” and his people.

***

The Fire Warrior has almost recovered after the incident and continued his daily "pursuits". His room survived the demolish performed by the archon, and Nersu took place of the master's bizarre toy again. He no more returned to the shelter. Drakriss, immersed in pleasures with his brides and the duties of an archon, paid almost no attention to his pet. The only things remained unchanged was the morning ritual and "entertainment" of the lords. The representative of the Fire Caste was able to wield the long sword of the Dark People. Although Drakriss always joked about the “touching clumsiness” of his little slayer. The tau did not seek to outdo the spectacular Kabalite fencers, preferring the effective style of the Fire Caste. The grim eyed Fire Warrior even managed to "melt" the heart of the Midnight Dragon. The old man and his vassals loudly discussed and made bets, how quickly the “blue imp” can decapitate a dozen slaves and whether he is skillful enough to separate the newborn’s head from the body on the fly. The enslaved soldier of the Greater Good did his best not to disappoint the terrible grandfather of his master. The toy took its place. The future of the obstinate slave was predetermined, and proper order reigned in the house of the Great Serpent. The rule was only slightly diluted by the slutty nature of Drakriss. To the displeasure of his women, the archon continued to pay attention to Nersu, albeit less and less. But when this happened, Drakriss, send out the concubines and servants out of the bedroom. The unrelenting monster was changing, and love softened his features. The young prince colorfully describing to his brides the diversion with tau, intricately weaved the truth and lies. The archon was not letting Nersu out of his arms, chastely enjoying the closeness of his slave. Hands accustomed to tearing living flesh were gently cradled the doleful tau, granting a long-forgotten feeling of security. And all the grief, despair and pain the crippled Fire Warrior experienced, was with whom to share. Nersu tried to forget about the lost home and cure the _tenxer'suam madness_ that consumed his mind.

“I love you, Kais,” Drakriss softly whispered. “I cannot express this in words.”

The shas’ui sighed, knowing what the archon wants and spoke humbly.

“I will do everything as you wish, sir. Should I resist? Or do you want differently?”

“Do you think I am bringing you to the bedroom for this?” the var’sin’da objected resentfully, “Do you think I don't deserve to love?”

Tau shrugged. The Great Serpent was an incomprehensible creature against the very Greater Good, and the Beast could wake up at any moment.

“If you were able to imagine how passionately I desire you. What I want to do with your body and soul. Everything you have experienced will seem an innocent prank compared to the true suffering that I can bring.” Drakriss exhaled loudly. “Every day I find it harder to restrain myself, my little Ty’res,” feeling Nersu’s trembling, the archon softly continued, "I will set you free. You have suffered enough... Be patient a little more, my love. The Great Serpent, like all var’sin’da, remains a _co'monat’sio_.

The archon's long-limbed skinny body was a bundle of cast muscles, his skin was covered by scars - the embodiment of strength and fierce readiness for a fight. Nersu suspected that most of the wounds beast inflicted by himself, unable to control his own madness. Washy snake eyes were unexpressed on a spooky thin shaped face. But when the var’sin’da looked at him, he seemed for the Fire Warrior to be virtually as kind as Jhi’s. Looking into drukhari eyes, shas’ui felt safe. The tau knew that he can fall into this reliable abyss and forget about the hardships of slavery and the devouring void in his heart.

“Since tomorrow you must hide in the shelter,” the grave coldness in the lord’s voice made the tau cringe.

The room, upon Nersu’s permission, was put in order. The tau tried not to leave his quiet haven, responding only to the summoning of the Midnight Dragon. The servants used the intercom, a familiar and mundane household item of the Empire of the Greater Good. However, the old man perceiving the faded interest of his grandson to the "tamed animal", also was no more attracted by the Fire Warrior. For the impossible var’sin’da, an entire life of a tau was just a fleeting spark in their own long night, filled with the light of stolen suns. So, Nersu spent his days admiring the ocean of T’au on the holo-screen. The aquamarine waters were changing its color from clear blue to gray-green, sided by soft white clouds droved by the wind. The “window” was showing his old world, full of light and spaciousness. The shas’ui recalled walking at dawn along the shore hand to hand with Yis’ten, his first and yet only spouse. The soldier was dreaming, whether he sees his _mon'keged_ once again?

Gradually, the remarkable physical state of the Fire Caste infantryman returned to the young tau. Drakriss disappeared: Nersu decide the owner avoids waking up his own dark side. But the shas’ui patiently waited, feeling the release was near.

***

This morning was particularly overcast. For a while, the tau did not understand why he was depressed. The "window" showed the familiar picture: the steel-cold blue deep emitted placidity. Nersu who grew up on the oceanside knew this was calmness before the storm. But he had seen storms before in his “magic mirror”: the power of T’au nature wildness, its majestic beauty, and peace following it. The shas’ui stood at the holo-screen, looking thoughtfully at the picture. The var’sin’da device faulted: the image was looped, and it became clear to the prisoner that this was a record indeed. A breakdown seemed impossible, but the tau admitted that even the Dark People’s craftsmen could not avoid defects. Nersu’s eye was attracted by a mug with tanna, the human counterpart of his usual drink to which the tau was addicted, being the “guest” of the archon. The porcelain cup slowly dragged to the edge of the table, vibrating. The fighter's reflexes, despite they were dulled by forced idleness, worked instantly. The Fire Warrior rushed to the floor a second before the room was shaken by an explosion, sweeping the furniture, and stunning the tau soldier. Unfamiliar warriors pulled Nersu out of his lodge, collaring him again along the way. Forced with the buttstock of a rifle to move faster, the shas'ui was brought into an unfamiliar part of the complex. Along the passage, the eyes of the Fire Warrior acquired a picture of betrayal: the corpses of Incubi-warriors and servants littered the corridors. The mournful cries from all over the place testified that the invaders were celebrating the victory. Not a single muscle flinched on the young man’s face when he understood who he was led to. The tender oval of a woman’s face, framed by the golden hair inherited from her mother, surely a portrait of the good deity of ar’cea. The eyes expressed wisdom and care. Ivanelle features looked a bit similar to her brother's, but that was where the family resemblance ended. Fearsome archon was a secular rake, who received his empire from the grandfather. The younger sister of the archon was able to reap out the heart of any in order to get what she wanted. When she came closer, Nersu noticed a pout distorted her face: The Fire Warrior was a little taller than Princess of Commorragh.

The infant Var'sin'da walked around the tau, who stood at attention, inspecting the citizen of the Greater Good. The drukhari paw the dented uniform, touched his face with her fingers and patted the tau's braids.

“What is so interesting my naughty brother found in you?”

Having met Ivanelle glance Nersu spoke with dignity.

“Unlike you, a toothless half-breed, I can tell to Drakriss everything that I think of him.”

The young woman's soft smile, like the rays of the sun after a long winter was an answer. But immediately after tau received a strike which made him flew to the floor. His teeth crunched, and mouth filled with blood.

“Yes, my brother and I have many differences. As an example, I do not allow slaves to be pushed around myself.”

Tau tried to get to his feet, but another crushing blow - with a heavy boot over his ribs, made the warrior gasp from pain and squirm on the floor.

“But, I agree, we share something common,” the silky voice of the woman sounded over him, “We both love games. What is your name, slave?”

Nersu met his eyes with the Var’sin’da. For the first time in captivity, the Fire Warrior felt the fear of death. The monster in front of him was eager to drink his soul. Handling his fear, the tau replied.

“They call me _Kais Erra’la_!”

Tender features of a girl were distorted by fury when she received the translation, but the Toothless Viper was able to overcome the momentary desire to kill the rebel.

“Perhaps, you will live for a while. My worthless brother seems to be seriously attached to you.”

The var’sin’da-warriors forced the tau to rise from the floor. The hostage was chained to one of the metal pillars supporting the vault of the hall.

Ivanelle kept strolling back and forth through the throne room. A woman’s cold glance slid over tapestries and trophies, occasionally stopping at the terrible exposition in the center. The decapitated grandfather of Drakriss was hung by his feet on chains hanging from the ceiling. Beneath the body was a puddle of black blood, drained from the corpse of the Midnight Dragon. Nearby were his comrades-in-arms and loyal bodyguards of the Lord of the Kabal. Some were beheaded like the old man, while the unfortunate others were disemboweled alive and still writhing in death throes unable to cry.

A woman was bored looking at the defeated relatives. Her noble beautiful face pivoted again to the captive tau. The Fire Warrior felt himself begin to tremble in awe.

“The viper will be caught alive and dragged here. My brother will watch me cutting pieces off his precious blue-skinned soldier. Or I can make you cut off the meat from him" the var’sin’da came closer. "And perhaps I should start right now, without waiting for the worm."

The monologue of the woman was interrupted by a messenger appeared in the hall. After hearing his report Ivanelle burst out curses.

“What do you mean “you can’t find him”? I hit Snake by myself on the lower levels!”

“Perhaps the Worm crawled away to the Kabal of the Thousand Tears,” one of the witch’s assistant respond.

“No! I feel him. This toothless snake is somewhere nearby,” she darted a peer to the fettered tau, “Until his love in my hands, the worm is not going anywhere. Drakriss will come for his treasure!"

“Your brother finally gets cranky,” snorted one of the witch-brides, “Drakriss really allowed this animal to bugger him!”

“Liked or not, Liktara, the Great Serpent alone was able to break into Hemirweil craftworld and get out of there with catch,” Ivanelle replied firmly.

The gaze of the charming eyes turned to the cowering tau. Nersu saw a moment of confusion on the demigod's face, suddenly replaced by distrust, and then panic.

“No!" uttering a cry in which impotent anger and despair mixed up, the woman rushed away from the hall.

The next moment the powerful explosion rock the building to its roots. As the flocks of smoke dissipated being pulled out into the cracks in the walls, the Fire Warrior saw the archon's lethal figure. Nersu would never have guessed that he would be glad to see Drakriss again. The Great Serpent, as a black whirlwind, thrashed through the destroyed premises: it was not a battle, but a bloodbath. Having dealt with the last survivors, Drakriss reached the tau. Drukhari hastily freed the hostage from the fetters and the Fire Warrior noticed that the var’sin’da is bleeding to death.

“Are you ok?” the anxiety in the voice of the speaker amazed the tau familiar with the habits of the Dark People.

“Yes,” Nersu coughed.

Drakriss helped the Fire Warrior get to his feet.

“You need weapons and armor. To my rooms!”

The archon’s ravaged “family nest” was flooded by blood, and the bodies of brides torn to parts were hardly recognizable among the pieces of furniture. The tau shuddered, only a real demon could do this.

“These sluts tried to finish me off!” in the voice of the archon there was insane merriment, “Can you believe?”

Propelling the Fire Warrior to the ruined arsenal, the var’sin’da find the black armor of the captive. The floor beneath their feet quake noticeably, and the tau heard the sound of a distant explosion.

“Faster, I’ve mined all the passages, but this bitch is not easy to kill. She will return with the reinforcement. Half-breed has gone over to Vect and his scum!”

Nersu got into his armor, tried not to think about the massacre done by Drakriss. The archon, a real monster in the flesh, afore did not frighten the captive in the way his sister did. The daughter of ar’cea-slave inherited the beauty of the mother and the frenzy of her var’sin’da ancestors.

“Damn it, bitches damaged your weapon,” the archon hissed complaining and discard the pulse carbine. “Doesn’t matter, we will get new. Hold on!”

“What?” the shas’ui saw terrible figures, stepped out of the shadows, “Grotesque!”

The var’sin’da, noticing the approach of the enemy, activated the detonator. Another powerful explosion shook the spire. Feeling how the support slips from under the feet, tau shouted in fear. He was echoed by the mad laughter of his master.

The fall was short, and the armor had protected him from the hard landing. Recovering from the blow, Nersu rose to his feet, feeling how the hard hands of the Vas’sin’da pull him further. Flame raged high overhead.

“Oh yeah! It will entertain them for a while. Come on.”

Following the wounded archon deep into the complex, Nersu tried not to think about the pursuers. Drakriss obviously went crazy, and the Fire Warrior suspected that wherever his master would lead him, only death awaited them. Narrow corridors became darker and dirtier. The tau seemed he smell the blood of a myriad of prisoners who found their demise here. They stopped in front of a small door upholstered in rusty metal. Behind the door was a narrow corridor and another door. And behind it... Nersu gasped unable to believe his eyes. Spacious meadow, surrounded by tall trees, was flooded with sunlight. In the center stood a sturdy house, built of roughly hewn logs.

A nightmarish var’sin’da in black armor stride confidently toward the building, and Nersu’s heart sunk. Whoever was the inhabitants of this place, they were sentenced to death, and the tau would only be a helplessly watch the carnage. The Fire Warrior had decided that this will not happen, the shas’ui will give Drakriss the final battle. Will try to stop the monster...

His thoughts were interrupted by a child’s scream.

“Dad! I knew you would come!”

A little girl in a weightless dress ran off the porch and rushed to the strangers.

Nersu watched in amazement as the archon, grabbing the child in his arms, gently stroked the golden curls.

“My treasure! Where is a mom?”

“In the garden,” the girl, sitting in her father’s arms, regarded the tau with curiosity and without fear, “Is this your friend?”

Drakriss threw a derisive glance at a stunned tau.

“Yes. He is.”

Then the var’sin’da nodded toward the garden, inviting the companion to follow him.

The garden surrounding the house was filled with the scent of honey herbs and blossoming trees. The branches of the stumpy trees, with old scars from the fire, were bent under the weight of ripe fruits. The shas’ui saw the inhabitant of the house and astonished: the golden-haired ar’cea, tall and willowy, looked at the Var’sin’da with dismay. But it was not the fear upon a tormentor, instead, it was the gaze to the beloved ones, with whom they will be separated.

“Drakriss?” Her glance leaped to tau, confusion flashed on her face, and then grow an understanding, “Is it time?”

The man nodded. Ar’cea, taking the child out of his hands, headed for the house. The archon, looking after his wife and daughter who had disappeared from view, spoke.

“I kidnapped her by myself. I went through an abandoned portal to a craftworld and have killed everyone I met, and then retreated, blocking the passage from our side,”the var’sin’da closed eyes glimpse the sweet memories, “I took the Haene as my trophy. I locked her and “visited” from time to time. And when I realized that she had become pregnant, I figured out that this bitch, my sister, and Fakhhra, shoved to me the sterilized whores. I arranged for these two to decide that I had tortured Haene to death, like so many others. Instead, I’ve hidden them here, away from everyone,” a shadow fell over Drakriss’s face, and the tau noticed how the var’sin’da glanced along the ghostly symbols flickering over the house, “First of all, from myself."

The woman returned dressed in black armor. Similar was worn on a daughter.

“You will lead her out, Nersu,” having seen how tau was startled after he heard his true name, the archon smiled in his eerie manner, “Yes, my friend, I know everything about you. You studied us. Every minute, you were looking for an opportunity to escape, stealing weapons and waking up your brothers-in-arms.”

“How we can do this?” The tau glinted at the house: the woman disappeared into the basement. The girl has changed. The concentration of the face of the child on guard reminded him of the shas’saal.

“Through the portal. Didn’t you figure out how to use them? All you need is a guide, and my Haene needs a partner.”

“Why don't you go?” The shas’ui asked in surprise.

“In her world, there is no place for me. And in this world, there is no room left for them. Sister will get here in at most a few hours. I will detain them, and you will escort my Haene. Ar’cea will reward you well for returning the kidnapped Farseer.”

Tau thought home. About the ocean's depth and the clear skies of T’au, which the captive of Commorragh no longer expected to see.

“Why me?”

“Oh, enduring child of the Greater Good, you didn't understand that I have no one to trust?” the archon burst out laughing, “When I sent Fahhra for the beauty of the Water Caste, I knew that the bastard would find none. Acting gradually in advance, I had achieved that the prices of slaves-tau had so collapsed that the captives were out of interest for the merchants. Your people's fragility and bloodthirstiness of my fellows played into my hands. Only a very stubborn shas’la could survive in Commorragh,” after seeing the hatred look of the Fire Warrior, the var’sin’da shook his head, “Don’t look at me like that, shas’ui. My methods are cruel, but such is our nature. Thanks to me, your people will be long protected from the concernment of dealers of the Dark City. This is my gift to you, Ty’res.”

Only now Nersu traced in the fallen archon the nobleness once lost by the Dark People. Haene, leading the daughter by the hand, approached the men. In the hands of a woman, the Fire Warrior saw the weapons of the var’sin’da.

“Nersu is a good rifleman. Go to the portal and do not look back. Farewell, my soul,” his fingers gently straightened the woman's outgoing curl. Then the overthrown archon glanced at the Fire Warrior. Nersu saw a crystal sparkle on the var’sin’da’s eyelashes, “Goodbye too, my love.”

“Farewell,” ar’cea gently kissed her captor.

Taking daughter in her arms, Haene handed the weapon to the Fire Warrior and ran to the trees. Nersu did not lag behind her, only at the very edge of the forest, he gave a last glimpse. The light-devouring figure of the Var’sin’da towered in front of the house. The tau saw firsthand how the daemon lurked around for hours, trying to break into the asylum of the unfortunate.

“We need to go through several portals,” told ar’cea, as they plunged into the forest, “It can be hard.”

“I won’t let them grab you again,” the Fire Warrior said firmly.

“Thank you. For everything you did,” the woman looked at her companion, “I could not cope with him alone all these years.”

The forest ended abruptly and the shas’ui saw a gray wall ascending into the sky. The realm of captive ar’cea was tiny. At the foot of the wall was a dark passage in which aeldari was rushed. Activated portal - a round gray platform, opened a way for them. Luckily, there was no ambush. Narrow gloomy passages and alleys of the Dark City dumped into eternal night quickly flickered, while they run. Warrior's instincts alerted Nersu that their lonely detachment had already attracted the attention of persecutors. Ahead was the last portal. And fortunately, it was not guarded too. But the tau had heard the approaching rustle of wings and claws. The predators of the Dark City led by the wrath of the archon's sister took the trail. Hurriedly activating the device, the fugitives stepped into a circle of light. Before the vision of the Dark City disappeared, the tau saw flying “Poisons” filled with warriors and creepy creatures that flooded the street. It seemed to him that gold-flowing hair flashed in the front car.

This time they were awaited. Ar’cea soldiers in light armor and conical helmets raised their weapons. But at the sight of the woman and her daughter, one of the warriors stepped forward, taking off his helmet. Golden curls scattered over the shoulders of men.

“Haene?” his gaze tossed from kid to tau, “the Portal had activated a few hours ago. Who is this?”

“Libre, your niece, and Nersu, the Fire Warrior. He set me free.”

Tau surveyed the interior of the ar’cea ship. The golden light seemed to come from each wall and the bulkheads, while the ship itself produced the sensation of a living being. Nersu had never in his life seen such pure and warm light. The Fire Warrior thought of Ivanelle, who’s wicked cries were echoing under the bloody empyrean of Dark City. The arrogant witch lost her prey, and the fugitives were unreachable now. The warriors continued looking suspiciously at the shas’ui. The black armor of the var'sin'da, in which the Fire Warrior was dressed, was alien to this place, as once his Fire Caste uniform was for Commorragh. Soldier's thoughts returned to the Dark City: Drakriss, most likely, already dead. The master sacrificed his life, thus escapees could hide in the safety of the world of ar’cea.

“Haene, can they get in here? Get to your ship again?”

Ar’cea looked at each other nervously.

“We will give invaders a fight,” the woman’s brother said confidently.

Shas’ui grinned wearily, glancing at the child. The girl curiously studied her new home.

“Last time it did not help you. The war doctrines of the Fire Caste declare that only defense is to destroy the source of the danger.”

“Nersu, no…” the woman looked at the tau with sadness. “It should be another way. I will look at all the probabilities.”

Shas’ui shook his head. Ar’cea capable of foresight was not believing in her own self.

“The Viper does not stop until your kid is alive. I'll do everything. The hunters do not expect that someone decides to go back. So typical for the cowardly var’sin’da, accustomed to persecuting those who are obviously weaker."

The Fire Warrior felt proud seeing changes on the faces of the woman’s kindred. The haughty ar’cea warriors were amazed by the words spoken by the little tau.

“Farewell, Nersu,” Haene whispered softly. “We will not forget about your act.”

“This is the way of Tau’va,” Nersu recalled the salty smell of the ocean, but drove away unsolicited memories of the home.

Ar’cea warriors hurriedly installed an explosive device on the platform. The tau carefully examined the convex case. The sleeping seed of Death, ready to sprout.

“Is the charge enough?” The Fire Warrior asked Haene’s brother gravely when ar'cea handed him a detonator.

“Enough,” the aeldari grim smile reminded him of his dark fellow’s smile. “Dead man's switch. Maybe you change your mind?”

“I have a favor, brother,” The tau thought of Ivanelle. The vengeance of insane witch would have fallen both to the world of ar’cea ship and the colonies of his unsuspecting tribesmen.

“My name is Tankor,” the warrior-ar’cea approvingly tapped the tau on the shoulder, “Thanks for my sister. I will return the debt.”

Before the ar’cea ship disappeared in a flash of light, the tau recalled the words of the Beldame. Having learned the true name of a person, an evil spirit could steal the soul. The Fire Warrior grinned, imagining the surprise on the faces of the dark congeners of Haene, whose rage was bursting on the other end of the portal. Nersu died a long ago in the barracks of slaves, and _Tenkser_ reborn in his body, never belonged to the Greater Good.

Epilogue

_Sapphire - _from ancient Greek. Is a precious stone of various shades, one of the varieties of corundum. In mineralogy, only blue corundum called sapphire, and the bright color is caused by the presence of impurities of titanium and iron. The outstanding hardness and strength of the mineral are remarkable, and artificial sapphires are widely used in technological production.

From ancient times sapphire was considered a stone of constancy, mutual love and sincerity, The amulet of virtue and restraint, chastity, honesty, and pure thoughts. It was believed that sapphire can serve as an antidote, protecting against snake bites, an amulet from treachery and betrayal, able to reverse the spell cast. And also, gives the owner composure and courage. Sapphire is a symbol of decisiveness, the strength of spirit and military victories. It was believed that a small sapphire crystal, which was placed under the tongue, was able to "quench" thirst for a long time.

Seeds of Evil

In the grim darkness of the distant future, there are no good tales. Among the cold stars, there is only war and devastation.

There is no one to tell the legend of the forgotten past, the legend about the treasure of an unknown craftworld. The kneeling sculpture of a warrior in an unusual armor made of white sandstone, hidden in the silence of the eternal circle. The skillful sculptor gave the figure ethereal weightless, underlined by a fragile and short-lived material. There is a lacerated wound in the chest of the statue, and a flaming gem is resting in folded palms as if the young man is holding his own trembling heart - the sacrificial gift of sincere love. Transparent tears, carved from pure aquamarine, froze on a young impassive face. What do they mean: the pain of a gaping wound or the joy of the giver? Eyes of the young man continuously look at the gem, admiring the priceless gift. Yet if look closely, it is not a heart in palms of the statue, but the hatching egg, from where the Basilisk looks.

What does this legend tell? Who is this warrior whose hands nurse the Seed of Evil? And the tears of the young man, were they caused by grief about the loss of the beloved one or did the unfortunate mourn the entire Universe, in which there is no more place for love?

The Glossary

_Ambul_ \- Ambulls are subterranean xenos creatures native to the desert death world of Luther McIntyre IX. They have ape-like stance, their most characteristic feature is huge expandable jaws.  
_Ar'cea_ \- n. ‘high civilized ones’ i.e. the Eldar [Note refers to all Eldar communities: Craftworld, Dark Kindred and Exodite;  
_bekalsa_ \- n. 'lamb';  
_Co'monat’sio_ – egoist, adj. 'selfishness', or 'To act in accordance with one's wishes' [implies self-indulgence, licentious, and decadence]; 2. v. To act on one's own behalf, i.e. 'self-promotion';  
_Erra’la_ \- 1. n. 'scarecrow', lit. 'shadow man', a mannequin set up to scare away animals, or to warn persons of danger; 2. n. {archaic} 'guardian spirit', an architectural ornament in the form of an Erra'la, used to guard temples, palaces, and common houses from evil spirits, i.e. 'a chimera'. Hence Kais Erra'la can be translated as a familiar demon (arch. guardian spirit)" or "skillful chimera (gargoyle/scarecrow)";  
_Gue'la_ \- n. ‘lowest (lesser) beings’ i.e. humans not incorporated into T'au Empire;  
_Gue'vesa_ \- n. 'human helper,’ any human who serves the T'au Empire and follows the Tau'va  
_Mon'keged_ \- n. 'dark name'. Also called a 'bragging name' or 'courtship name'. During the time of courtship, an individual takes a mon'keged or is given by a member of the opposite sex. [Note a mon'keged is similar to a 'bad boy' or 'bad girl' name among some human cultures];  
_Ranerra'm'denta_ \- 1. n. 'Un-dead Demon Ghost' lit. 'Immortal Demon Spirit', a spirit who possesses the body of a deceased person and who then feeds on the blood and flesh of the living to sustain its presence on earth. [Most horrific demon in Tau folklore and the equivalent to a Vampire]; 2. n. {synonym} 'a criminal', i.e. 'a person who uses violence to achieve their own selfish ends  
_Shas'ui_ \- 'Veteran’, the second rank in a Fire Caste;  
Ta'lissera - 1. n. ‘marriage’ or ‘covenant’ lit. 'soul-bond'; 2. n. The ceremony in which a Fire-caste or Earth-caste team is a bound to each other for life, as in marriage; 3. n. 'a marriage ceremony'; 4. n. any military or work unit/group which has been bound together in a ta'lissera ceremony.  
_Tau'no'por_ \- 1. n. ‘The Tau water caste manner’ lit. 'Tau water speaking'; The philosophy and art of rhetoric. Includes public speaking, debate, negotiation, method of delivery and propaganda. It is frequently taught to humans.  
_Tenkser_, from "tenxer' - 1. n. {geology} The mineral sapphire; 2. adj. a deep translucent blue colour;  
_Tenxer'suam_ \- 1. n. 'The Sapphire Flame', Derives from ancient Tau mythological heroes and heroines, who were often said exhibit a 'blue flame' or 'blue light' when in the midst of a battle frenzy; 2. v. 'To go berserk'. A state of insanity brought about by prolonged combat;  
_Ty’res_ – 1. n. 'wild serenity' lit. ‘savage quietude'; 2. n. a mon'keged – dark name for young women given during the time of courtship;  
Var'sin'da - n. 'Dark People Raiders' i.e. Dark Eldar raiders or the Dark Kindred;

Tau terms were extracted from Tau Lexicon 2018 ver 2.1 https://www.docdroid.net/dwpTimc/expanded-tau-lexicon-2018-ver-21.pdf

The Supps (in order of appearance)

* Tau are familiar with the concept of egoism  
* The Archon lies. However, the procedure seems to be very painful for a tau  
* Another lie, tau are robust enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Post scriptum
> 
> Review notes from Russian version editor:
> 
> The "Shas'ui" tells of the misadventures of the prisoner of war of the Tau Empire in a place that without hesitation can be called the underworld. Victims of lost battles become here ... although it’s more correct to say that victims of lost battles become nothing in this place. They are just toys in the hands of spoiled and very cruel children. The owners of the ugly spires of Commorragh do not just torment the unfortunates on their own. They drain the souls, disfigure the bodies, and also cripples the mind. The best for what the captives of Commorragh can hope on is a transformation into a similarly vile and disgusting creature as the Drukari.  
The protagonist, Nersu, goes through all the circles of hell, and then in the end ...  
I would like to note that the original tags in front of the text after reading the work became terrible. "Yaoi" and "homoerotics" are the misplacement, and vulgar. They are more relevant to the content of rubbish porn sites than to the filling of the literary section. And "Shas'ui" is the decoration of fanfiction on Warforge.ru. This work focuses on things that are several orders of magnitude superior to the meaning of initial tags. The "Shas'ui" tells of the transformation of the hero, of his suffering and struggle: a desperate spiritual battle. The "Shas'ui" tells that Fate, sometimes, obtain excellent stones in her jewelry hands. However, the mineral has to make efforts on a par with the creator. Otherwise, it will remain as crumbling sandstone.  
It should be noted that the author of the work has come a long way, and at the moment. The "Shas'ui" is her magnum opus. Very strong work: memorable heroes; slender narrative; and most importantly - the idea laid in the foundation of the story. Grammar still fails, but the content is ... brilliant.  
Like gemstone.
> 
> http://forums.warforge.ru/index.php?s=&showtopic=257631&view=findpost&p=4663099 (at Russian)


End file.
